Forbidden City, Beijing

Day 01Beijing

Welcome to China! Your professional TCG guide will meet you with private transfer at Beijing Airport. We have reserved you 4 nights at the 3-star Days Inn Forbidden City Beijing with daily breakfast. (Address: 1 Nanwanzi Alley Nanheyan Street, Dongcheng District Beijing, 100006, Telephone: 86-10-6512 7788) The balance day is free.

Meals: No meals

Day 02Beijing

One day of downtown visit including Tiananmen Square (the world largest central city square), the Forbidden City (the world largest and the best-preserved Imperial Palace complex) and the Temple of Heaven (national largest group of structures dedicated to rituals that pay homage to the glory of heaven) will be arranged on the second day.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 03Beijing

On the third day, tours will cover the Great Wall- the best preserved Badaling Section, the Sacred Way, the Ming Tomb (under ground and about 27 meters deep). On the way back, you will have a chance to see the appearance of the Bird's Nest (Olympic National Stadium) in the distance.

Meals: Breakfast

Great Wall of China

Day 04Beijing

 After two days arranged tour, you will get a whole free day to explore and learn the city by yourself. The hotel with breakfast is provided for you.As many former clients required, we suggest you visit the 798 Art Zone. It is located in the former place for the Beijing North China wireless joint equipment factory (namely, 718 Joint Factory) which can be traced back to 1952. The designing task of the 718 Joint Factory was in the charge of a German architectural institution in Dessau, which lied in the same city with Bauhaus school at that time. Attracted by ordered designing, convenient traffic, unique style of Bauhaus architecture, many art organizations and artists came to rent the vacant plants and transformed them, gradually formed a district gathering galleries, art studios, cultural companies, fashion shops etc. As the earliest area where the art organizations and artists moved in located in the original area of 798 factory. This place was named as Beijing 798 Art Zone. Proverbially, it is the embodiment of the “Loft and SOHO life style”. You may reach there by bus 401,405,688,991,988 or take a taxi there. The only place you need to pay is the entrance ticket of UCCA. It costs you CNY30 per person but free of charge every Thursday. For more information, please refer to Beijing free day suggestions.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 05Beijing - Lhasa - Testang

After breakfast, take a morning flight to Lhasa. Our local guide will pick you up at Lhasa airport and transfer you to the 3-star Yulong Holiday Hotel for overnight (Address: Nedong County 856999, China) in Tsetang, the cradle of the Tibetan Civilzation. Take the rest of the day to adapt to the high altitude upon arrival and you could ask for the oxygen supply if you get headache. Take care that a free stroll by yourself without the guide escort is not permitted in this land. You may have the dinner to recruit the energy at the hotel by yourself.

Meals: Breakfast

Samye Monastery, Tsetang

Day 06Tsetang - Lhasa

On the sixth day, you will be transferred to take a ferry through the scenic Yarlong Tsangpo River to reach the Samye Monastery in the opposite bank of the river. During the half-day visit, you will find the similar universe layout corresponds in the Sutras and the three buildings in its distinctive features. Taking along a flashlight is necessary since some of the halls are quite dark. Then transfer you back to Lhasa and check in the 3-star ShangBaLa Hotel staying 3 nights (Address: No. 1 Danjielin Road, Lhasa, Tibet, 850001 China; Telephone: 86-891-6323888). The balance day is free. 

Meals: Breakfast

Day 07Lhasa

On the seventh day, attempt to discover the mystery of this land during your tour  to the the Tibet Museum and the Carpet Factory.  The delicate carpet making in Tibet has 600 years history and the waving craftwork is very special. Fine color and luster, soft texture as well as durability of the carpet have a great value for using, appreciation and collection. You can also see the demonstration of the manufacture process.  In the afternoon, visit the the Sera Monastery and the Norbulingka Park. Please learn some customs and taboos before the visit. It's not permitted to touch the figure of the Buddha at the temple and not all the palaces are open to women. Hold the Lama and temple in great esteem and turn clockwise when you run the prayers wheel. Monks usually put the sutras in the prayer wheel which will substitute them to patter running every time.

Meals: Breakfast

Ferry boat to Samye Monastery, Tsetang

Day 08Lhasa

On the eighth day, you will have one day guided tour to the splendid Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, the Barkhor Street, and the Tibetan Traditional Medicine Hospital.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 09Lhasa - Shangri-La

Bid farewell to this magic land after a Tibetan family visit. Then see you off at the airport to board a flight to Shangri-La. Be picked up by the local guide at Shangri-La airport and transferred to the 4-star Shiner Hotel staying 2 nights (North Section, Chang Zheng Road, Zhongdian, Diqing, Yunnan 674400; Telephone: 86-887-8232233). Have a good rest in the balance day and it's not advisable to take too much food since your stomach will afford more in such high altitude. Shangri-La have a reputation for the famous Works” The Lost Horizon” written by the British writer James Hilton 50 years ago. Nowadays, it has become a popular tourist destination home and abroad and never fails to meet the tourists' expectation by its stunning scenery.

Meals: Breakfast

Tibetan lamas' sutra-debating

Day 10Shangri-La

A dream travel starts.The guide will lead you to the tranquil Bita Lake located in 35 kilometers East of Shangri-la Old Town. Surrounded by types of vegetation on both sides, it shows a scenic scene to you. Suffering from the coldness to confront incredibly nature beauty is worthwhile. If you're lucky, you will see  the locals in their ethnic dress singing the folk songs. Usually some vendors were selling the fresh yak milk and yak meat sticks near the sites. Then continue a walk to the Shudu Lake. On the way back to Shangri-La, you will stop by the Songzanlin Monastery for a while.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 11Shangri-La - Lijiang

This morning, head to Lijiang Old Town, the Naxi minority congestion area. En route, you will stop by the Qiaotou to see the famous Tiger Leaping Gorge (a huge canyon) and the First Bend of the Yangtze River. The guide will also lead you to visit the Stone Drum Town, a vital military place in history and stop by the Iron Chain Bridge. You may see many vendors selling the wares in the market to keep their lives. Reach Lijiang in the late afternoon and transfer to the 3-star Sanhe Hotel (Address: The Old Town, Lijiang, China, 674100; Telephone: 86-888-512 0891) to have a rest.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 12Lijiang

Your tour guide will escort you to sup the Naxi minority flavor in tranquil Baisha village. Acquaint yourself with native austere life at a villager's family. Then proceed to enjoy the Baisha Murals and have the last stop at the Rock Joseph's Former Residence in Yuhu Village before lunch is served. The afternoon is free. You're advised to go to the Wangu tower in the Lion hill and have the best viewing of Lijiang old town by yourself.

Meals: Breakfast

Lijiang Old Town

Day 13Lijiang

The whole day is free while the hotel with breakfast is provided for you. Having a leisure stroll in the cobbled street by yourself and you will find a stream running through the old town.  Taste the Naxi snacks and enjoy the Naxi dance show with music on your own.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 14Lijiang - Kunming

On the seventeenth day, see you off at the airport to board a flight to Kunming. Be picked up by the local guide at Kunming airport. Transfer you to the 3-star Jinjiang Hotel (Building B) staying overnight. (Address: No. 98 Beijing Road, Kunming, Yunnan, 650011 China, Telephone: 86-871-3138888). At the rest of the day, the guide will lead you to visit the Stone Forest and have a leisure stroll at the Birds Market. 

Meals: Breakfast

Chinese minority groups

Day 15Kunming - Shanghai

On the eighteenth day, see you off at the airport to board a flight to Shanghai. Upon arrival at the airport, take a taxi to 3-star Holiday Inn Express Zhabei Shanghai staying 3 nights (Address: No.1738 Zhongxing Road, Shanghai 200070, China)and handle the check-in procedure all on your own. The balance day is free.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 16Shanghai

Only hotel with breakfast is provided today. For a free day in Shanghai, you may have a 1 or 2 hour cruise trip on the Huangpu River. The departure time and place, the ticket prices are differ from different cruises, but it is easily for you to find the tickets office along the Bund and get more information there. Shanghai Museum, one of the best four museums in China, is definitely a must-go place in Shanghai. You can rent an electronic narrator with you to know more about the collections. You can reach there by bus 574, 112, 123, 71, 934, 145, 46 or the Subway No. 1 out by Tunnel No. 6. It opens from 09:30 -17:00. One and a half hour is the usual time to visit the Museum, but it depends. Not far from here, you may also visit the Shanghai Art Gallery(Address: 325 West Nanjing Road) which opens from 09:00 -17:00 and no admission after 16:00. It costs ￥20 per person and sure different from the 798 Art Factory in Beijing. If you do not want to see the Gallery, you may take taxi to the Shanghai Xin Tian Di (Address: south of Huaihai Zhong Lu). Composed of Shikumen and modern architectural style of exotic restaurants or shops, you will get the taste both of Shanghai in the 1920's and the sonic modern lifestyle of urbanites of the 21st century and find a nice place to have a drink or western meal.

Meals: Breakfast

Bund of Shanghai

Day 17Shanghai

Another free day is left for you and we only provided the breakfast with hotel reservation. For more information, please refer to the Shanghai free day suggestions.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 18Departure from Shanghai

On the last day in Shanghai, please check out before 12:00 and take taxi or shuttle bus to the Pudong Airport for your international flights. You may deposit the luggage at the hotel if your flight is very late. If you want to try the Maglev Train (the world's fastest one) to the Airport, please take taxi to Longyanglu Maglev Train Stop to buy a ticket and ride to the airport for a few minutes. The ticket charge is CNY40-100 per person for one-way ride.

Meals: Breakfast

 Note: We are also glad to make arrangements for you in Shanghai if you want to avoid being a little bit adventurous and enjoy your stay in a sit-back manner. Your travel specialists will quote you the price for this part upon your requirements.